Rotherham Creative Network’s Monthly Meet Ups return with a new date for the rescheduled February event

Join us to hear more about the work of Opus and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority ( SYMCA)

Opus is a ‘think and do tank’ based in Sheffield, established in 2008. Their core projects include Now Then magazine, Festival of Debate, Opus Distribution, Opus Films, and UBI Lab Network.

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is a formal partnership of councils that shapes policy and leads on decision-making. Formed in 2014, the constituent members of the Mayoral Combined Authority are Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster councils.

In 2021 the MCA allocated £1m to the arts, culture and heritage sector in South Yorkshire. This Fund marks a clear statement of intent, to actively strengthen our creative talent and organisations and to start to unlock the untapped potential of art, culture and heritage in South Yorkshire. It has been a collaboratively designed programme between SYMCA and the 4 Local Authorities, with the intention of safeguarding the future of the cultural and creative industries across South Yorkshire.

Opus and SYMCA — Culture, Arts and Heritage Engagement Report

This project and final report arose from an ‘invitation to tender’ from SYMCA in late 2021 ‘to devise, manage and run an engagement process across the creative sectors across South Yorkshire and offer recommendations for future areas of priority and action.’

Central to this work’s purpose is the ambition outlined in SYMCA’s Strategic Economic Plan 2021-2041, which states that ‘to realise our full potential, we need a transformational programme of investment in our cultural and creative assets.’

A region-wide consultation process was undertaken involving people, groups and organisations working or volunteering within the cultural sector. Currently, the report has been completed and is awaiting final approval and public release by the SYMCA office and we are continuing to meet with staff members to complete this and engage in follow-up work.

As part of the event you will be able to find out more about the report, in particular Rotherham's contribution to it. There will be an opportunity to talk to both OPUS & SYMCA about current and future opportunities for creatives in Rotherham

This is a free event but you must register through the Eventbrite page to secure your place. Book your tickets here.